Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Monday, November 14, 2011

Apple Dapple is a well loved heritage cake made with apples and pecans, and glazed with a crunchy brown sugar maple topping.

Apple Dapple Cake with Maple Glaze

This is such a tasty and moist apple cake, and you can make it a day ahead, because it gets even better, making it a perfect addition to the holiday table. I first met this cake 30 years ago, though frankly I'm sure it's been around even longer than that, meaning you can count on it being well-tested and reliable too.

Back in the day, when there used to be an actual "telephone" company - Birmingham, Alabama-based South Central Bell employees, both active and retired, through their individual chapters of the Telephone Pioneers of America, put together a community cookbook. The Mississippi Chapter published their first one calling it Bell's Best, in 1981, and next to my treasured 1973 red Betty Crocker cookbook, the yellow covered Bell's Best became the second cookbook I owned, and the first one I actually purchased for myself as a young bride. I'd be willing to bet there are a few of you who still own a copy, and maybe even own the Alabama versions of Calling All Cooks.

These basic, no frills collections, are often the most worn, beaten cookbooks we own, but ones that we all treasure too, because for many of us, they taught our generation and those younger than us, how to cook basic recipes. For many of our mothers and grandmothers, they provided a full repertoire of written-down recipes, something many of them had not had before, having had to rely mostly on experience in the kitchen and watching their own mothers and grandmothers. Cooks often held on tightly to "secret" family recipes. By the way, please don't do that. Recipes are meant for sharing!

I'm not sure where the name came from to be honest. Maybe because of its sort of dappled-in color caused by the glazing. Really, the only thing that sets this recipe apart from a simple fresh apple cake, is that brown sugar glaze, that, by the way, goes hot, onto a hot cake, and left to cool right in the pan.

Outside of that, this cake can be made one of three ways. Traditionally it's always been in a tube pan.

It can also be made in a bundt pan, the way I did it today, or even in an oblong 9 x 13 inch baking dish. In the tube and oblong methods, you'll pour the hot glaze right on top of the cake while it's in the pan and let the cake cool right in the pan. For the pan cake, be sure to poke a bunch of holes in the cake to allow the glaze to seep in. In the bundt pan though, I remove the cake to avoid it sticking to the crooks and crevices of the pan and then transfer it to a large, flat plate, where I drizzle the glaze all over the top of the hot cake, letting it pool up along the edges and on the inside. Then it's just a matter of letting it soak in.

Apple Dapple Cake made in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Photo used with permission from Teresa T. from our Facebook Family!

Speaking of bundt pans, I'll also bet there are more than a few of you who also have one of these Nordic bundt pans, don't you? Heaven knows they aren't fancy or heavy stainless, nor are they expensive, but that pretty white interior sure produces a beautiful cake. This one is Mama's, so Lord knows how old it actually is, but it's a classic that's been around the block, and actually one that is still sold.

The basic old fashioned apple dapple cake included only flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs, oil, pecans and apples, of course. The topping, butter, milk, and brown sugar. The spices and maple flavoring here are my own add-in, so feel free to exclude them if you want to stay more true to the original.

Here's how to make it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with Baker's Joy, or butter and flour well; set aside. Add the sugar, eggs and oil in a large bowl.

Beat that until it's creamy looking, then add the vanilla.

Stick a strainer on your bowl. These things are so handy - it's a great kitchen tool with a lot of uses - you should have one! I strain yogurt through it for home strained Greek style yogurt, use it for sifting powdered sugar over cakes, beignets, and French toast, and it's great for sifting flour together with other ingredients.

Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon if using; sift that into the sugar and egg mixture.

See how smooth the flour is now? No lumps! Sorry about the lighting. Guess my camera had a hiccup.

Stir all of that together.

And then remember you forgot the vanilla earlier, so stir that in if you forgot too.

Peel, core and chop up your apples. I used Gala this time because I bought a bag of them cheap the other day so that's what I had. Use whatever baking apple you like. Truth is I've baked an apple pie using McIntosh, Red and Golden delicious apples before, because that's what I had on hand. So even though some folks say you can't, I sure did it, so I say use whatever apple you like! Depending on the variety you choose, you may need more or less sugar, so keep that in mind. For a tarter apple like Granny Smith, you might want to add in a little more sugar.

Add the apples.

And the pecans.

Mix that all together.

It'll be a bit gooey just in case you're wondering.

I thought I would add a few decorative whole pecans to the bottom of the bundt pan. Notice the "pretty" side is facing down, although I think a pecan is pretty no matter what side you look at personally. And no complaining about the price either, unless you, yourself have cracked a big bag of them yourself to know the labor that goes on behind it. Even commercially that has to be a process, so buy the pecans with a smile and budget elsewhere.

If you also want to do that, use a large spoon, or ice cream scooper to drop some of the batter on top of the pecan.

Do that over each one so that they don't shift when you fill up the bundt pan.

Until you've done the entire circle.

Then scrape the rest of the dough into the pan and level it.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes back clean. Remember all ovens are different, especially mine. Mine is so old I actually have to regulate the thermostat myself with an oven thermometer. Best investment I made for that poor old oven, though I'm hoping for a new one from Santa this year. Let the cake rest in pan for 10 minutes. Keep in mind the directions for a pan cake and tube pan cake are different, so if you're using those pans, follow the directions in the recipe notes.

Then loosen around the middle and sides of the pan and turn out onto a serving plate while you make the glaze.

For the glaze, add a stick of butter to a saucepan and melt over low heat. Yes, a stick y'all.

To that add the milk and brown sugar.

Boil for 2-1/2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add in the maple extract.

Drizzle the glaze slowly over the cake letting the glaze pool up inside and outside of the cake.

Allow the cake to cool completely - the longer it sits the more it soaks in the glaze and the better it gets. Use a wide spatula to transfer cake to your storage container or cake stand, and spoon up any excess glaze to drizzle again. The glaze reacts a little differently with this method than it does poured over the cake in the pan, but it creates this crunchy, sugared coating that is just so yummy.

If making in a tube pan, pour the hot topping over hot cake while it is still in the pan. Let set until cold. When completely cold, carefully remove cake from tube pan. If making in 9 x 13 inch baking pan, pour the hot topping over hot cake, let cool completely, and simply cut and serve from the pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with Baker's Joy, or butter and flour well, making sure to get in all of the crevices in the pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, and sugar until creamy, add the vanilla.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamon into the sugar and egg mixture; add the apples and nuts. Add whole pecans into the bottom of the bundt pan if desired, and carefully spoon batter over each of the nuts. Transfer the remaining batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes back clean. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen around the middle and sides and turn out onto a serving plate while you make the glaze.

For the glaze, combine all ingredients and cook for 2-1/2 minutes. Slowly drizzle the glaze over cake after removing from pan, letting it pool up inside and outside. Once cooled completely, transfer cake to your storage container or cake stand if desired, spooning up the excess glaze to drizzle again.

~Cook's Notes~

I used Gala apples. Keep in mind that if you use a tarter or sweeter apple, you'll probably want to make adjustments with the sugar. If you don't have self rising flour, substitute and sift together with the flour and spices, 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of fresh baking powder.

Variation: Prepare as above except transfer to a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Pour hot glaze all over the top of the cake while it is still hot, and let the cake get cold before cutting into squares for serving. For a tube pan, bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour, pour the hot glaze over the hot cake while it is still in the pan. Let set until cold, then carefully remove cake with topping from tube pan.

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Mary, this looks amazing and I'm sure it tastes amazing also. I love this cookbook. I wasn't married when my mother passed away, so my sister's gave me a lot of her cookbooks and Bell's Best was one of them. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's in about 5 pieces now, but they are all kept safely in my cookbook cabinet. I use lots of recipes from the book and would love to have another one to share with my daughter. I've searched online and can't find one. Thanks so much for a great ride down memory lane.

Bettie, you can buy one! Click the link in the post and that will take you to an order form. You have to order it via snail mail through the Telephone Pioneers but apparently they are available still! They are also available from various sources online but upwards of $35 and I think that is used!!

Hi Lucy, this is actually a very old recipe that's been around awhile, but I do hope that you enjoy giving this new to you recipe a try! It really is wonderful.

Mary, you had me at the word "heritage" with this recipe - as you did the Lazy Daisy Cake. I made that cake, and cried...I went back to my Gramma's table 48 years ago! I really never thought I'd ever taste a cake like she made ever again...until I found your site. Thank you. It has brought her memory back so clearly, so beautifully. Such a blessing.

Georgia you can get a new copy! They actually do still have them, but don't try to buy it online - the prices are outrageous. If you click on the link Bell's Best up in the post, it'll take you to a mail order form. You have to order it that way, but they are still available!

I have one of those Pioneer cookbooks that was a gift back in 1983. To this day I still use it. It's my "go to" cookbook for everything. I'd be lost without it. I'm glad to see Bell's Best is available. I'm going to order one today. Thank you!

I have one of the Pioneer Cookbooks I received as a gift back in '83. Love it and still use it as my "go to" cookbook for everything. I won't even lend it to my kids to use. I'll be ordering one of the Bell's Best today. Thank you so much for the information!

Made this a few weeks ago and it is awesome. I left out the maple syrup in the glaze because I prefer more of a caramel flavor. I used a Bundt pan, but will try it next in a 9x13 so the glaze will saturate the cake. May even make more glaze.

I've had my Bundt pan for ~ 30 years and often needed another. Found one recently at an estate sale for $3.00 in good condition. What a bargain! Love your recipes!

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